WISE - - A pair of one loss teams will lock horns Saturday when 3-1 UVa-Wise visits 3-1 Fairmont State in a 2 p.m. kickoff. It will mark the second consecutive week the Cavaliers are playing in a homecoming game after upending West Liberty 31-19 in Wise last Saturday. Overall, UVa-Wise has won four consecutive homecoming games, after going 3-0 in such games last season. Fairmont State will be looking to continue its magical season, following a come-from-behind 19-16 win over the University of Charleston last Thursday.

In the Cavs' win, Head Coach Dane Damron's team used its defense and the play of freshman quarterback Jarome Johnson to get off to the program's best start since 2008. The UVa-Wise defense picked off a trio of Hilltopper passes and limited the guests to just 263 yards of total offense. It was nothing new for the Mountain East Conference's co-interception leaders who have seen six different players pick off at least one pass in the first four games. As a team, the Cavs have picked off eight passes and have multiple INTs in three of the season's first four games. Johnson ran for two scores and passed for another in relief of Brycen Lee. The former Eastern High School standout put the finishing touches on the win with a 5-yard touchdown scamper with under a minute to play.

Fairmont State continues to find ways to win. Coach Jason Woodman's squad overcame a 16-3 fourth quarter deficit last week to knock off Charleston 19-16. Place kicker Sam Keli completed the comeback with a game-winning 32-yard field goal off the left up right as time expired to earn MEC Special Teams Player of the Week accolades but, it was the play of junior safety Stephen Turner that put the Fighting Falcons in position to win. Turner registered six tackles and two INTs in the triumph; he tied the game with under six minutes to play when he picked off a pass and raced 36 yards for the game-tying score.

On paper, Saturday's game appears to pit two teams with opportunistic defenses that try to force their opponents to beat them on the ground. With each school having eight interceptions and ranking No. 1 and No. 2 in the MEC in pass defense, moving the ball through the air may be problematic. Close contests are nothing new to either team, especially Fairmont State. The Fighting Falcons have won five games since November of 2015 when they were tied or trailed in the fourth quarter.

Saturday's winner will improve to 4-1 and be no worse than in a tie for second place in the MEC standings. This will be the fifth all-time meeting between the schools, Fairmont State leads the series 3-1 and has won each of the last two meetings.

Next week, UVa-Wise returns home to play Urbana University in a 12 p.m. kickoff while Fairmont State visits Notre Dame College in a 12 p.m. kickoff.